The 9-0 loss by the New Jersey Devils to the rival New York Islanders, nonetheless, is the worst loss the fanbase has seen. It’s one of the worst losses in recent memory. It’s one of those games where it feels like one team never showed up because that’s how the Devils play, allowing the Islanders to score on what felt like every possession.
Related: 5 Observations: Fox, Larkin, Olympics & More
This game understandably has the fanbase demanding change. Either the general manager (GM) Tom Fitzgerald must be fired or the head coach Seldon Keefe, or both. The game is an exclamation point for a season, even a decade’s worth of frustration.
The Devils Are Watching The Season Spiral
The latest game stood out, and it’s hard to forget. Anyone who has covered a blowout or attended one knows that it sticks with the team and usually results in change. The loss, while bad, isn’t the first time the Devils have been embarrassed this season either.
The Devils have been a mess for a while. They’ve lost six of their last eight games and had a losing streak of five games at the start of December. The offense outside of the top six isn’t great, and the defense has struggled all season. Now, their issues are on display for everyone to see.
The crazy thing is that the Devils aren’t far removed from the top of their division. Only nine points separate them from first place in the Metropolitan Division. The reality is that they are closer to the bottom, with only three points separating them from the last-place Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Devils are watching the season fall apart, and it wasn’t supposed to be this way. Yet, the loss to the Islanders shows how far they’ve fallen. They aren’t the team that their opponents fear. They aren’t the team that’s tough to play against or prepare for, even with their skill in the top six. On the contrary, the Devils are a team everyone is eager to face.
How The Devils Were Built to Fail
The Devils team building had plenty of issues that are coming to a head during their struggles. They built around Jack Hughes but more accurately, built a team reliant on Hughes. When he’s hurt, the team collectively falls apart. He’s back on the ice but he’s not the same player, and there’s a good chance the hand injury is still lingering, keeping him from playing at a high level.
Then there’s the rest of the forward unit. It’s built around Hughes, where the speed and skill work with him but they don’t have the variety needed to adapt. The core is more similar than it’s different, and they lack the star power that can take over games outside of Hughes as a result. When the games slow down or become a physical grind, this team has no answers.
The recent game showed the issues that cost them in 2023-24 and are costing them throughout this season. The defense isn’t stopping anyone, and while Luke Hughes and Dougie Hamilton are great puck-handling defensemen, they are liabilities in their own end. Then there’s the goaltending, which is a weakness after being a stabilizer last season. The Devils played a dangerous game betting on an inconsistent Jacob Markstrom to put together two strong seasons, and it’s costing them now.
Fitzgerald Killed A Dynasty, or At Least a Successful Rebuild
When the Devils burst on the scene in 2022-23, they were supposed to be in the contention conversation for years to come. Their young core was entering its prime, and they had elite talent in all the key positions. The Devils were supposed to be the fun team in the NHL, leaving a decade of darkness and entering a great era.
It’s where Fitzgerald entered Keven Cheveldeyodff territory as a GM. He took a team that was going nowhere and made them competitive. The question was what would happen next and whether Fitzgerald would make the moves to get them over the hump.
The Devils are now a middling team and are watching everyone pass them by. The Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers, and Washington Capitals not only retooled their rosters but also have better outlooks for the future. To add to the frustration for the Devils and their fanbase is that they went through the teardown. They drafted in the top five multiple times and, better yet, made the right selections with Nico Hischier (2017 first overall), Jack Hughes (2019 first), and Simon Nemec (2022 second). They built up a core that would compete and should be capable of going up against most in the NHL.
The problems began with Fitzgeralnd, who opened the contending window but that’s where it stopped. He tried making the moves to get the Devils to the Cup but each one flopped from signing Dougie Hamilton and Ondrej Palat to acquiring Timo Meier, Erik Haula, Tyler Toffoli, and Markstrom. Now, Fitzgerald is the GM who won’t make a move knowing it might flop. His hands are tied with the no-trade clauses, and he’s not willing to go all-in on a risky addition.
If the Devils keep playing poorly, they must make a change at the top. The recent years have shown that Fitzgerald can’t be trusted with a retool, and that’s what the Devils might need.
Where The Rest of the League Must Take Note
Multiple teams are in the middle or at the end of rebuilds. They have the core assembled and are ready to enter the contention conversation. The question for all of them is what happens next? What trades will these teams make, or how will they put together the finishing touches to become a Cup contender and not a team that disappoints every season?
The Devils failed this step. With the raised expectations, they never delivered, and are entering a difficult territory because of it. They should be a contender with Hughes, Hischier, and Bratt in their primes, yet they might have to retool instead and trade some of their talented supporting cast as a result.
